


Burnin' for You

by FromOZwithlove



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, F/F, F/M, Female George Weasley, Female Harry Potter, Genderbending, Genderswap, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Lesbian Rights!!!, Protective George Weasley, Protective Harry Potter, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25498834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FromOZwithlove/pseuds/FromOZwithlove
Summary: Harry Potter has three big problems in her fifth year at Hogwarts:1. The Dark Lord has risen2. A Ministry tyrant is taking over the school and has made it her business to torture Harryand 3. She has a massive crush on her best friend's sister, which he can never, ever know aboutPretty typical for her life
Relationships: Harry Potter/George Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Michael Corner/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 10
Kudos: 69





	1. This plastic wrap in my cheeks

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope that this isn't hot garbage. Harry/George is a relatively rarepair and has a few Fem!Harry/George works, but I'm yet to see one with Fem!Harry and Fem!George. If y'all know any please tell me as I would love to read them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is from Prom Queen by Beach Bunny

Ronald Bilius Weasley can be terrifying. He's overly protective of all of his siblings, especially his sisters. The look on his face when he had caught Ginny snogging Michael Corner in a back hallway had scared Harry, even though she would, and had, trusted him with her life many times over. Even more worrying was his reaction to Seamus asking George to the Yule Ball last year (which was, luckily for Seamus, turned down). All this was reason numero uno why Ron could never, ever, know about the massive, undying crush Harry had for his older sister, George. 

She didn't know what had sparked her obsession with the Weasley twin her third year at Hogwarts. Maybe it was the fact that George was, categorically, HOT. She had curves (different from Harry's own pencil-like figure), and pouty lips that she longed to kiss the smirk off of. Her red hair fell in soft waves to her hips, and so often Harry wanted to pull it out of it’s ponytail and run her hands through it. Harry wanted to find and kiss each freckle on George’s pale skin. She had once gotten so distracted during a Quidditch match watching the way the muscles in George’s arms flexed under her skin she had almost run into the stands, much to the amusement of Malfoy and his posse. It wasn’t just George’s physical appearance that attracted Harry to her - she seemed to radiate light and joy wherever she went. The moment that quality had become abundantly clear to Harry had been when the twins had broken into her room before second year. George had risked her mother’s wrath to deliver Harry from her aunt and uncle, and she lit up the dark house that night like an angel. 

If Ron ever knew, Harry could barely imagine what his reaction could be. He would either punch her, George, or both of them, maybe at the same time. So Harry swore to herself noone would ever know how she felt about Georgina Weasley. Especially not George herself. Which is why it was very bad that she was stuck in a small room alone with her crush waiting for Umbridge to deliver their sentences after she and Harry had “brutally assaulted” Draco Malfoy. Harry glanced next to her at George. Bits of her dark red hair had escaped from the braids she had put them in for the Quidditch match and her cheeks were still a bit flushed. Harry longed to lean over and press a kiss to the place between her furrowed eyebrows. She shut her eyes and conjured a picture of Ron asleep and drooling, which destroyed any romantic urges welling up in her. Her eyes flew open as she heard the door to Umbridge’s office open and slam shut. “Do you young ladies have anything to say for yourselves?” she said in a soft, scarily controlled voice. Umbridge stalked around the desk and sat in her chair, her and all of the cats on the wall staring expectantly at Harry and George. The two glanced at each other before Harry said, “Malfoy said some messed up stuff…” Umbridge interrupted her by saying, “Exactly. Malfoy _said_ , and you and your brutish sidekick attacked him. I’d expect this sort of behavior from a dumb troublemaker like Miss Weasley, but I thought I had impressed upon you, Miss Potter, the _consequences_ stirring up trouble at this school could have for your future ambitions to be an Auror.” Harry stewed during Umbridge’s rant, pinching her lips closed in a move eerily similar to her aunt in order to stop herself from responding. She could handle Umbridge insulting her. She could handle Umbridge threatening her. But the fact that Umbridge called George, graceful, smart, funny, beautiful George, a brutish, dumb punk, really got Harry hot under the collar. She sent a look at George whose ears were turning red, and whose knuckles were white around the arms of her chair. Umbridge, seeing that she had angered both Harry and George, continued with a smug smirk on her lips. “Now Mrs Weasley, I personally would have thrown you and your brother out of this school after the stinkworm incident at the beginning of term. However, the headmaster tells me that Professor Flitwick has told him on multiple occasions that you are one of the brightest charms students he’s ever had, and that it would be a shame to throw out a ‘promising mind’” Umbridge said ‘promising mind’ with sarcasm that rivaled Fred. She turned to Harry next, “Mrs Potter, Professor Dumbledore has an inexplicable liking for you that I do not agree with. In the eyes of the Ministry you are a liar who aims to overthrow the Minister, and we do not have room in our society for someone so opposed to our government. I thought I had set you on the right path after our last discussion, but evidently not. I think you two need a more _extreme_ punishment.” Harry hoped that her nervousness didn’t show on her face; she didn’t want to give Umbridge the satisfaction. If Umbridge, who made her carve lines into her own skin, thought that the consequences she was about to dole out were extreme, she feared for George. Harry had been toughened by dementors and the Dark Lord, but George had not. But her worst fears came nowhere close to the horror Umbridge said next, with a unabashed grin on her face, “You two, and Frederick Weasley, are banned from Quidditch for life. And, Mrs Weasley and Mrs Potter, I think detention until the end of term with Mr Filch, starting tomorrow night, will help drive the point home.” Harry was stunned. Her favorite sport, one of the best things about Hogwarts, gone forever. George’s face was drained of color. “Why Fred? He didn’t do anything! He tried to stop me.” She said, barely contained anger in her voice. She looked like she wanted to slap the saccharine smile off of Umbridge’s toadlike face. “But Mr Weasley was unsuccessful, and I think that that was on purpose. I also think that punishing your twin may make you more thoughtful in your actions.” Umbridge sat back, now apparently sated. “You two may leave now. I’ll have Mr Malfoy bring your brooms to my office when he gets out of the Hospital Wing.”

Harry and George exited into the hallway, and Harry tentatively looked at George. “Look George, I’m so sorry.” George cut her off with a quizzical look. “It’s not your fault, Malfoy is a slimy git who said things about both our families.” George smirked at her, “Besides, I already have an idea for a prank that will put Umbridge in her place. I’ll tell you about it in detention tomorrow!” She yelled, now jogging backwards down the hall in the opposite direction. “Gotta find Fred and tell him about everything. He’ll be pissed!” Harry smiled after her, and even though she was still upset about losing Quidditch, she started looking forward to spending two weeks in detention with George. Two weeks alone with her crush. Umbridge might have just done her a favor. 


	2. we're pretty good company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and George's first detention with Filch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in my head at 2 in the morning. Hope me falling asleep at work is worth it.  
> All disclaimers from the beginning still apply.

“Harriet Potter!” 

Umbridge had not done Harry a favor she decided as she looked up from her potions essay to see Angelina storming across the Gryffindor common room towards her, a look of pure murder on her face. 

“What the hell were you thinking! First you get yourself detention on all of our practice days, now you and those _twins_ ,” she said the word the same way Harry thought Malfoy’s name in her head, “go and get yourselves banned for life!” Angelina huffed, plopping down in the chair across from Harry and crossing her arms. Harry put aside her essay to have her hands free in case Angelina decided to enact corporal revenge. “Angelina I’m so sorry, but the things Malfoy was saying about George and my families…” Harry trailed off. Angelina softened a tiny bit. “I know Malfoy had it coming, but that git is going to make us lose this year. My one year as captain and I’m destined to lead us to failure. How am I supposed to find two good Beaters and a seeker in the middle of the season?” Angelina buried her head in her hands in defeat. Guilt welled up in Harry’s chest. “I can help…” “No” Angelina sighed dejectedly, “you can’t. Banned for life, remember.” Harry felt another pang of loss. One of the few things that had tied her to her father, taken away forever. Angelina stood, now looking more dejected than angry. “It’s okay Harry. I’ll figure it out. You’ve got bigger things to deal with, since Umbridge obviously has it out for you and doesn’t care who else she hurts in the process.” She patted Harry on the shoulder as she walked towards the portrait hole.

* * *

Later that evening Harry and George found themselves standing outside of an abandoned classroom in the dungeons, buckets and sponges in hand. Flich had told them that they needed to clean the rat-dropping encrusted floors and that he’d be back in three hours. They made their way into the room, brushing cobwebs out of their way. “Merlin’s beard it’s dark in here.” George muttering before casting lumos, filling the room with light. Harry looked at George and asked, “ Where should we start?” George smirked at her. “ _We_ , Harry-kins? Why would we do any of the work?” She flicked her wand through the air in a complicated motion and the buckets filled with water, the sponges dunking themselves into them and then beginning to scrub the floor. George then pulled out a chair at one of the empty tables before sitting in the seat across from it. Harry took the hint and sat in the chair George had pulled out. “I keep forgetting you were raised by Muggles.” George said, resting her chin on her hand and smiling deviously at Harry, “You and I need to discuss our plans for Umbridge.” Harry wasn’t surprised that George had already come up with ideas, but she was surprised at the sheer size and scope of the pranks she and Fred had concocted. Some were mere nuisances that were sure to make Umbridge mad, but unlikely to really get her back for their lifetime ban. Some were more extreme ones that Harry nixed for being too likely to harm someone. They finally decided on one in the middle of the range that would be harmless, but would be sure to enrage Umbridge and provide humiliation to the tyrannical professor. After refining their plan and working out the details, Harry sat back from the piece of paper George had brought for them to write on. “How do you two come up with all of these schemes?” she asked, still a bit stunned at how many ideas the twins had dreamed up. George smirked, folding the paper and tucking it safely in a pocket of her robes. “Do you know what one of my most ambitious pranks is?” She said, seemingly off topic. Harry shook her head and George continued, “When I was nine Bill promised that he wouldn’t cut his hair until I did, so if Mum got mad at me for having long hair she’d also have to get mad at her star prefect. During his seventh year Bill revised our pact so that he would have long hair until I cut mine, but he said he needed to trim his hair into a manageable length. I agreed, obviously, and I haven’t cut my hair since because I think it’s funny to watch Mum fuss over his ‘unprofessional’ hairstyle. A prank eight years in the making.” George concluded, a self-satisfied look on her face. Harry snorted, “Only you would think of something that petty.” George adopted a false hurt look. “Petty, me? I would never!” Harry stared at her with mock seriousness, “You once made my cousin’s tongue grow to a meter!” George scoffed, “It was four feet, I’ll have you know, and he deserved it.” She sniffed, barely containing a grin that threatened to break her put-upon expression. 

Harry was almost in stitches at that point. She was happy that she had a friend who would take revenge on her behalf, and she was glad that friend was laughing with her now, and she was especially glad that friend was George. She was overcome with a want to lean across the table and snog George, feel her infectious smile against her lips. She shook it off. _Think of what Ron would do. He’d slap you if he knew you wanted his sister._ Harry could have sworn that George’s hazel eyes were glancing longingly towards her own mouth, but before she could be sure they snapped to the door behind Harry as they both heard footsteps coming down the hallway towards the room they were in. George leaped out of her chair and summoned the sponges towards them, shoving one into Harry’s hand just as Filch appeared in the doorway. He looked at them suspiciously before casting a cursory look around the room. “I’m surprised you two troublemakers did any actual work.” He grumbled, stalking forward to grab the buckets and sponges from the girls’ hands. “That’s enough for tonight. You have ten minutes to get to your dorms before curfew.” The girls looked at each other in surprise at how fast the time had gone before sprinting past Filch and towards the stairs. The trek from the dungeons to Gryffindor Tower was a long one to make in ten minutes. 

When they finally reached the Fat Lady they were both redfaced and panting. George gasped out the password and the portrait swung forward to admit them. When they reached the point on the way to the girls’ dorm where their paths diverged, George pressed close to Harry for a second. “I really enjoyed talking tonight. I’ll tell you tomorrow what Fred thinks about the plan.” George whispered into Harry’s ear. She pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek, so light and quick that Harry wondered if she had imagined it. By the time she processed what had just happened, the redhead was bounding up the stairs towards the seventh-year rooms. Harry stood outside her door in shock for another moment before it swung open, revealing Hermione, wearing a nightdress and clutching her Runes textbook. “There you are,” she sighed in relief, “I was beginning to think Filch killed the two of you and he and Umbridge were hiding the bodies.” Harry followed Hermione into the room in a sort of trance, and if Hermione noticed she said nothing. As Harry lay in bed that night, she imagined she could feel George’s phantom lips against her cheek and her warmth against Harry, and she drifted into the happiest sleep she had had since Voldemort returned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this, and thank you for reading!  
> title is from Harmony by Elton John


	3. lets get lost, you can take me home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry is late for class. What's a Weasley to do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All disclaimers from the beginning still apply. Thanks to those who have commented and left kudos, I really appreciate it.
> 
> title is from Summerboy by Lady Gaga

_George’s strong arms bracketed Harry, pressing her against the wall. Harry gulped, looking from the hazel eyes boring into her down to George’s lips twisted into a smirk. “Nervous, Harry-kins?” She whispered, her warm breath ghosting over Harry’s cheek. “You looked so good at Quidditch practice today, I’ve been waiting all day to finally ravish you.” George pressed her lips to Harry’s, one of her hands snaking into Harry’s hair and the other moving downwards toward…_

“Harry!” 

Harry reluctantly opened her eyes to the blurry image of Hermione standing over her, fully dressed and clutching her bookbag. 

“You have to get up, you’re going to be late to transfiguration!” Hermione moved away as Harry abruptly sat up, cursing and grabbing her glasses off of the nightstand. She swung out of bed and pulled on her uniform, quickly snatching her books and running out of the door. She was sprinting down the stairs and trying to calculate in her head if she would be able to grab breakfast on the way to class when she slammed into someone standing at the bottom of the stairs. She was bending down to pick up her dropped books when a pair of familiar hands started handing her the assorted quills and paper that had dropped from Harry’s bag during the collision. Harry looked up to see George grinning at her. “In a rush Harry-kins?” She asked, passing Harry’s things back to her. They both stood, and Harry could feel a blush burning it’s way up her neck and cheeks. “Hey George. Sorry about running into you, but I’m late for Transfiguration.” She muttered, already starting for the door. George caught up with her, taking Harry’s bag from her and slinging it over her own shoulder. “I’ll come with you. I know a shortcut that'll cut your walk in half.” She said, waving to Lee and Fred, who Harry hadn’t noticed sitting in the common room before. “I’ll see you later” George called. Fred and Lee nodded, barely looking up from the game of exploding snap they were engrossed in. 

George opened the portrait hole and held the door as Harry climbed through. Harry turned and looked at George as she closed the door. She was reminded of the dream she had been having just before Hermione had woken her up and her cheeks flamed again. George turned around and looked at her a bit quizzically, “Why are you looking at me like that?” Harry mentally shook herself off, “Where is this shortcut I was promised?” George grabbed Harry’s hand and tugged her along. “Fred and I discovered it in our third year. It leads from behind that goofy statue of a kneazle riding a griffin to just outside the transfiguration hallway.” Harry became incredibly self-conscious all of the sudden that George could feel that her palms were getting sweaty. When they reached the ridiculous statue George reached up and twisted the tuft at the tip of the kneazle’s tail, causing the statue to swing forward and reveal a passageway that sloped vaguely downward. Harry paused. The hallway looked dank and slightly disused, but George bounded forward unconcernedly. Harry followed, mostly to stop George from yanking her arm out of it’s socket. 

They passed by several doors that were closed with padlocks. “We think this was originally an actual hallway with used classrooms, but they stopped using it for some reason.” George said as they sped down the corridor. “Here’s the exit.” They turned into a smaller passage leading to the left. Once Harry and George reached a seemingly stone wall at the end of the hall, George tapped a crack in the wall that stretched across the stone at eye level. The stone slid to the side, letting light flood into the room and releasing the pair at the end of the transfiguration hallway. 

“Ta-da!” George turned to Harry with a satisfied grin on her face. “Told you I would get you here on time!” Harry smiled back, noticing that George still hadn’t released her grip on her hand. “Thank you. I just wish I had time to get breakfast.” As if on cue her stomach let out an audible growl. George snorted. “Luckily for you I grabbed an extra danish from the Great Hall.” She pulled a napkin wrapped pastry out of one of the pockets of her cloak and handed it to Harry along with her bag. Harry slung the strap of her bookbag over her shoulder and took the warm food package out of George’s hand, still a little bewildered from the fast progression of her morning. “Thank you.” “Don’t mention it.” George pulled Harry into a quick hug before pulling back, a red tinge at the tips of her ears. “Now you need to get going or you’re going to be late, and all of my shortcut knowledge will have gone to waste. I’ll see you tonight!” Harry watched as George turned back to the still open shortcut and slid her finger down an almost imperceptible nick in the wall, causing it to slide back into place. George then turned back to Harry. “Go! You don’t need detention from McGonagall along with Umbridge.” “Yeah, yeah, right.” Harry stumbled backwards towards the door to her classroom. “See you tonight.” As she ducked into the classroom she could have sworn she saw George blow her a kiss out of the corner of her eye. The danish was the sweetest she had ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At work someone left a "Trump 2020 commemorative dollar bill" in our tip jar. Thanks I guess but that won't pay for my gas. Also George totally got that danish for Harry on purpose.


	4. if you want me let me know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry learns some new things about George and the two become closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time skip because I want to get to the action.
> 
> title is from Borderline by Madonna

That afternoon Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting outside doing homework. Harry was hunched over the 14 inch essay McGonagall had assigned over the history and laws of animal transfiguration and attempting to zone out Ron and Hermione’s bickering. All of a sudden Hermione jostled her shoulder, causing her to look up from her paper. “Tell Ron that he can’t control who his sisters date.” “Ummm....” Harry glanced at Ron who was a bit red. “It’s not that I’m trying to control Ginny’s dating life, I just want to keep her from dating the wrong person.” Ron said defensively. “Sorry to tell you mate, but that’s the definition of controlling her dating life.” Harry said, chuckling a bit to herself at the irony of her best friend’s protective streak. “Is not!” Ron scoffed, shooting Harry a dirty look, “Besides, I don’t tell George who she can date.” Harry’s heart began to pound at the mention of George’s name and she wondered if Ron had had many opportunities to get incensed with who George dated. Hermione rolled her eyes, “That’s because George hasn’t dated anyone our whole time at Hogwarts.” Harry hoped her friends couldn’t see the relief that flashed across her face. “Who would you even want her to date?” She probed, praying that Ron couldn’t hear the interest in her question. Ron threw his hands in the air in exasperation. “I don’t know. She hasn’t shown interest in any guys that I know of.” Hermione looked at Ron with a face that suggested her patience was wearing thin before saying, “That’s because George likes girls, you idiot.” Harry brightened at the confirmation that George could, in some far fetched future, be attracted to her. Ron’s mouth fell open in shock. “How could you know that Mione?” “Let me see, she’s turned down every guy that’s asked her out and flirted with half the girls in her year two years ago.” Hermione said in the same tone she used when Ron asked a dumb question in class. “Oh.” Ron stared into the distance. “Then I guess I wouldn’t want her to date Pansy.” Hermione started giggling at the thought of snooty Pansy Parkinson dating laidback George, while Harry felt a bolt of jealousy shoot through her at the mental image of them together. 

* * *

Later that evening Harry was exiting the Gryffindor common room on her way to detention with Filch. The past week her and George had been steadily working their way through the dungeon classrooms, laughing, joking, and creating more and more elaborate revenge schemes each night. Harry felt adrenaline flood her system when she saw George leaning against the wall opposite the Fat Lady. It had become a nightly routine for them to walk together to their “punishment”, but Harry was still surprised when George waited for her without fail. She was so unused to people in her life being reliable that she had thought on several occasions that she was living in an extended daydream. When George spotted Harry her face lit up and she peeled herself up off of the wall. “‘Bout time slowpoke.” Harry grinned at her as they started towards the dungeons. “Hagrid’s back!” She exclaimed. George smiled. “I’m glad, I know how worried you were about him. You and your friends.” She hastily added at the end. Harry frowned slightly and grumbled, “Yeah, but he’s all beat up and won’t tell us why.” George patted her gently on the shoulder and said comfortingly, “Hey, it’s okay. Hagrid is an adult and can take care of himself. He’ll tell you what’s going on when he’s ready.” Harry leaned into George’s hand and sighed, “I know, but I still worry.” 

Harry felt lighter by the time they reached the dungeons, mostly due to George’s constant stream of puns and jokes. Her good mood was barely dented by Filch handing them scrapers and instructing them to clear gum stuck under the desks in yet another abandoned classroom. Once the door had clanged shut behind Filch and they could hear him stomping up the stairs, Mrs Norris meowing behind him, George waved her wand and cast a series of spells that sent the scrapers hard at work. She then pulled Harry onto two cushions she conjured in the corner of the room. “I have something to show you” George said, smirking deviously whilst rummaging in her bag. She pulled out what looked like a modified Rememberall, which shined an opaque lime green and had a small switch on the side. “What is it?” Harry asked, curiously taking the device from George and turning it over in her hands. “Fred and I came up with the idea for it after finding a Muggle device called a Walk-man in Dad’s workshop. It plays music from something called a cassette.” Harry stifled a laugh at George’s wonder at a popular piece of technology. “Dudley had one of those, but he threw a fit when one of his cassettes unraveled and he smashed it.” George smiled and muttered, “Git.” under her breath before taking back the device and flicking the switch on the side of the sphere, causing it to glow. “So we reworked this Remembrall to play whatever song or musician you tell it to. For example,” George cleared her throat, “Sphere, play Christina Warbeck.” A female witch started singing about how she felt like she drank a love potion when she was with her significant other. George stood and reached her hand out to Harry, affecting a posh accent to say, “M’lady, may I have this dance.” Harry grinned and mimicked George’s accent when she said, “It would be a pleasure.” George cast a wordless charm that caused the ball of light floating in the middle of the room to separate into smaller globes and spread around the space. She then put one hand on Harry’s shoulder and the other on Harry’s waist, causing Harry’s skin to burn under her touch and pulling her closer into George’s warmth. George then started to twirl them around the classroom, humming along to the song. Harry’s heart felt like someone had cast _Wingardium Leviosa_ on it, and she almost pinched herself to confirm that this was real life. She was dancing with George Weasley, the girl of her dreams, who was holding her close and swaying in time to a romantic song “How do you know this song?” Harry asked softly, leaning as close as she dared into the space between the two girls. “She’s my Mum’s favorite singer.” George murmured in response, “She plays her all the time during Christmas. When you visit this holiday you’ll see.” Harry’s breath caught at the certainty with which George discussed a future that included both of them together. 

They danced in peaceful silence for the rest of the song and into the next five, all of which George hummed along with. The pair gradually drifted closer until Harry’s head was lying on George’s shoulder as they swayed side to side, George’s arms wrapped protectively around Harry’s back. She had never felt more safe or protected, and Voldemort, her nightmares, Umbridge, and Hagrid’s mysterious injuries felt continents away. She pulled back slightly to look at George and said in a low voice, “Thank you.” George smiled softly down at her. “What’re you thanking me for?” “For making me feel happy.” George made a sound low in her throat, leaning down towards Harry. Harry’s eyes drifted closed as she tilted her head up, only for George to abruptly pull back. “Filch.” George said, vanishing the cushions and fairy lights and shutting off the modified Rememberall. She had just grabbed the scrapers when Filch burst through the door, Mrs Norris winding around his legs. He looked at both of them suspiciously, and Harry noticed that George’s pupils were still blown wide and dark, making her wonder if her own were the same. “Ten minutes till curfew.” The old caretaker muttered, and George and Harry took off on the now familiar sprint to the common rooms. 

When they reached Harry’s dorm George awkwardly shook Harry’s hand, a blush rising on her face. “Had a great time tonight Harry-kins. Thanks.” she said in a rush before turning and sprinting up the stairs like she was running from Molly Weasley on a rampage. Harry was a bit stunned at the abrupt turn her night had taken as she readied herself for bed. As she lay in bed waiting for sleep to claim her, she imagined that she was back in George’s embrace and the warmth and light that George emanated made a bubble around them that no Dark Lord could penetrate. Her lips turned into a smile as she remembered the feeling she had had in the dungeons, and as she drifted off Harry thought sleepily that she could now summon the brightest patronus yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filch is a cockblock. Mrs Norris doesn't want Harry to get that pussy (pun intended).


	5. should we crush his sweet hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory Second Act Angst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me a bit longer than normal to update. All disclaimers from before still apply. Some cursing in this chapter. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> title is from Ziggy Stardust by Bowie

Harry, Ron and Hermione were hunched in a circle in the Gryffindor common room the next day, furiously working to finish the pile of homework they had been given for the weekend (or helping, in Hermione’s case). “How come we have homework on a Saturday?” Ron whined, scratching out a couple of lines on his page. “It’s because of OWLs. They want us to pass more than have free time.” Hermione said, chewing the end of her quill in thought. “Speaking of free time, how’s detention with Filch going?” Ron asked, leaping at the chance to take a break from his homework. Harry’s heart rose into her throat. _Does he know about what happened last night? Is he trying to catch me out?_ She swallowed hard and croaked out, “Fine, I guess.” “Is George driving you crazy yet? Bet she doesn’t do any work and makes you do it all.” Ron laughed. Harry forced down anger at the way Ron spoke about George and let out a choked laugh. “Yeah, super annoying. Can’t wait until break when I don’t have to be trapped with her anymore” She was certain Ron could hear her heartbeat pounding from next to her, hoping that her words dissuaded any suspicion about the true nature of her feelings for George. Hermione had her head still buried in her Charms book, scribbling furious notes. She looked up, opening her mouth to say something, but her eyes caught something across the room and her face paled. Harry’s heart instinctively sunk as she spun around to see what Hermione was looking at. She only caught a quick glimpse of George as she pushed open the portrait hole and stormed out. “Shit.” Harry swore, resisting the urge to leap up and run after George. Ron looked a little guilty as well, but soldiered on saying, “Don’t worry about it mate. I grew up with the twins: they don’t take anything seriously.”

* * *

George was scarily silent in detention Monday, forgoing spells to do the work and resorting to manual labor, something that made Harry slightly uneasy. After Filch released them for their nightly scramble back to Gryffindor Tower, George didn’t even pause to say goodnight to Harry as she had since their first detention together. Harry longed to talk to George during the day, but each time she saw her she was surrounded by Fred and Lee, who both surrounded her protectively when they saw Harry coming. 

Harry finally snapped one night in detention. “That’s it.” She said, dropping her sponge back into her bucket. “I’m sorry,” George responded, shooting a daggerlike look at Harry, “was I not doing enough work for you?” Harry flinched and George continued. “Or maybe I was being annoying? I mean, it’s not like I take anything seriously, right?” George was obviously fighting back tears, and her face was getting redder as she spoke. Harry felt a knife cut through her heart. “George…” she started, pausing as she wondered how to make George feel better. “I didn’t mean any of that.” George started to speak, but Harry cut her off. She needed her to hear Harry’s story, to understand the feelings that Harry had for her, to make her understand that seeing George’s pain hurt her as well. “I shouldn’t have said those things because they weren’t what I feel. I care about you George. I think you’re smart, and clever, and funny, and kind, and you always make me feel safe and happy. I feel so many things for you that I don’t know how to say it. I’ve never seen people be healthy and loving but I want that with you.” George stared at her, a bit shocked, and Harry felt her heart stop as she waited for George to respond.

“But then why did you say it?” George finally whispered, brown eyes boring into Harry’s green ones. Harry felt tears sting her eyes. “I thought that I had to so that Ron wouldn’t suspect how I felt.” George huffed out a disbelieving laugh, saying “So you’re ashamed of me.” “No.” Harry blurted, hating that she had made George ever think that. “I wish I could shout at everyone how I feel. It’s not you. I just…” Harry sighed, wringing her hands in front of her. “You know how Ron gets about his siblings dating. He’s so protective of you guys; you should have seen how he almost murdered Michael Corner when he found out about him and Ginny. And I’m his best mate, and if he found out that I felt… things… for you he’d get betrayed and mad at both me and you and I don’t want to be caught between you. You’re two of the most important people to me and I couldn’t stand to be without either of you.”

George had a bemused look on her face, very similar to the one Hermione got when Ron demonstrated his unbelievable levels of tact. “You’re so stupid. Ron loves you and though he may get frustrated with Fred and I how could he resist our loveable charm?” George flipped her hair over her shoulder jokingly, making Harry snicker. “What I’m saying is, he may be mad, but he’d get over it.” Harry sobered as a new thought came to her. “What about the papers?” George tilted her head quizzically. Harry continued. “Not only would they be mad that I’m, you know, but they’d tear you apart. You saw how they were when they thought I was dating Ron last year. The Prophet posted something every other day about how he ‘Wasn’t Worthy of the Girl-Who-Lived’.” George thought for a moment, then responded, “Fred and I won’t always be in school. Our trials for Wheezes are going well, and we almost have our prices and stock worked out. I’ll have enough to take care of you, and enough that the stupid Prophet will think I’m worthy of you.” Harry almost cried. Sirius was the only person who had ever talked about providing for her long-term. Even with Mrs Weasley it was always inferred that the Weasley’s couldn’t be responsible for her for more than a summer, especially not financially. And here was George, already including Harry in her plans for the future and considering her welfare as well as her and her brother’s.

“George,” Harry said in a low, choked voice, “You never have to worry about being worthy of me in the public eye. You know I don’t give a shit about what people I don’t even know think. If I’m happy and the people I love are happy then that’s all that matters.” Both the girls now had tears rolling down their cheeks, and George was looking at Harry like she was the best thing she’d ever seen. “I’d like to kiss you now.” She whispered. Harry leaned forwards and pressed her lips to George’s in response. The kiss was salty and a little wet and perfect. George smiled as she pulled back, and Harry couldn’t help from grinning back, immensely relieved that George had forgiven her. “So does this make you my girlfriend now?” George asked, and Harry nodded, so overwhelmed with happiness that she laughed so hard her sides hurt. George joined in, and Harry could barely hide her grin when Filch came and they ran back to the dorms. As they said goodnight, Harry tilted her head up and gave George a quick kiss, and as she turned to go inside she could have sworn she heard George whisper, "Love you Harry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rant: I've always hated in books and movies where a teenage couple who are each other's first significant other get married right out of high school. You need relationships so that you can figure out what you like and what fits you best in a person, and also how you prefer to be treated in a relationship. Also, the 18 year old you fall in love with probably isn't the 24 year old you're still married to. Just a pet peeve of mine. I totally think people can have happy, healthy relationships with their first so, I just think they're the minority and it's much better to experience some other options and then come back together when you realize that the other person is best for you.


	6. cut myself on angel's hair and baby's breath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mr Weasley gets attacked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long to update, I was held up by a horrible combination of things to do and procrastination. Anyways, disclaimers from before still stand.
> 
> title is from Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana

The next week and a half passed in a blur of joy and anticipation for the upcoming winter holidays. In between frantically completing the piles of homework she was assigned and spending time with Ron and Hermione, Harry snuck away to covertly meet up with George. They would hide behind a tapestry in the hallway and catch each other up on their day, of course interspersed with some very satisfying makeouts. In the anticipation of the winter holidays, Harry was able to push aside even the stress of her escalating dreams about the mysterious door and focus on the more trivial fears of Ron catching her and George in a compromising position and finishing homework.That was, until Mr Weasley was attacked. 

She was standing in Dumbledore’s office, wrapped in Hermione’s blanket and shaking, when the Weasley’s entered. Dumbledore had already sent Everard and Dylis for news on Arthur’s condition, as well as dispatching Fawkes to alert Molly. The second she saw George standing between Fred and Ron, bits of her flaming hair escaping from her bun to trail down onto her nightdress, looking like a scared and worried angel to Harry, a wad of bile and guilt rose in her throat and she almost immediately had to look away. The image of George’s father as she sank her fangs into him floated behind her eyes. “Harry?” Ginny’s concerned voice quavered, “What happened?” “Your father has been injured and taken to St Mungo’s Hospital. I am sending you to meet your mother at Grimmauld Place.” They all were looking at Dumbledore now, who was staring fixedly down at the blackened kettle he was prodding with his wand. “You will be traveling by Portkey shortly, as it is safer currently than Floo. Quickly now.” He beckoned the group towards his table and Harry joined reluctantly after Dumbledore glanced pointedly in her direction, still not making eye contact with her. Harry found herself pressed tightly between George and Ron, and the way George seemed to curl into her side made guilt wash over her once more. Once their hands were all touching the Portkey, Harry risked a quick glance back up at Dumbledore. Rage filled her suddenly as her scar split open with searing pain, and she had the urge to lunge forward, fangs bared, and strike down the old man… and then her gut was twisting and being pulled forward, and she found herself in Grimmauld Place, Kreacher nearby saying terrible things before Sirius banished him from the room. 

Sirius looked pale and a bit worse for wear, looking concernedly at Harry and the Weasleys. “What happened? Phineas Nigellus said Arthur was injured?” “We don’t know.” said Fred, his voice noticeably less jovial than usual. “Harry had a nightmare.” George continued, looking back and forth between Sirius and Harry as if uncertain who to focus on. “What exactly happened, Harry?” Fred finished, the twins lapsing into the thought-completing sentences they used when highly emotional or particularly mischievous (though this case was the former). Their faces, along with those of Sirius, Ron, and Ginny all turned expectantly towards Harry, waiting for him to speak. Harry stuttered out the story, stopping occasionally to endearingly choke on air and cough as a cover for her watering eyes. When she finished she turned her face down towards her lap, picking at her nails as she prepared for the disappointed looks the Weasley’s and Sirius would give her. It was getting harder to breathe and she just knew they would accuse her, throw her out of the house, send her back to the Dursley’s… 

“Is Mum here yet?” Fred said, and Harry looked up to see him addressing Sirius. George, Ron, and Ginny were all still looking at her with concerned faces. The conversation soon turned to talk of the Order and Mr Weasley’s condition, though Harry could swear she saw George shooting glances at her from time to time. 

Later, in lieu of sleep, the Weasleys, Harry, and Sirius sat around the table in silence. As Harry watched wax drip down the candles in the center of the table she felt a hand slip into hers and looked at Ron next to her, who was staring downwards with such intensity that Harry knew not to mention him gripping her hand for comfort. She fought down a wave of sick, wondering if Ron would still turn to her if he knew that she had been the snake that attacked his father and caused him to lay dying presently in St Mungo’s. Across from her George’s head was resting on Fred’s shoulder, his head on top of hers and both of the twins were dozing lightly. Harry felt a pang as she swung between worry for her girlfriend and her best friend and the urge to protect them by getting far enough away that Voldemort wouldn’t be able to hurt them. She knew her palm was getting clammy in Ron’s, but his own nervousness prevented him from noticing or saying anything. 

Finally the guilt had crawled it's way far enough up her throat that she felt a need to escape to the restroom, gently prying her hand out of Ron’s and whispering an vague explanation as she moved away. Ron nodded blankly before going back to his intense inspection of the grain of the table. After washing her hands she looked into the mirror, and for a second she could have sworn her eyes flashed into the slit pupils of snake eyes. Harry closed her eyes and splashed water from the sink onto her face, and when she opened her eyes they had reverted back to their normal emerald green. 

There was, however, a new addition in the reflection on the wall; George was standing behind her, stifling a yawn with her hand. “George…” as Harry spoke, George stepped into the bathroom, softly closing the door behind her. Her hand snaked around Harry’s waist from behind as she pressed her face into Harry’s shoulder. “Are you okay?” Harry linked her fingers through George’s, relaxing back into her warm embrace. “‘S m’ dad.” George mumbled sleepily, curling further around Harry as if trying to absorb her. Harry’s blood ran cold and she jerked away from George as the guilt reared it's ugly head, startling her and causing her to stumble backwards. “Harry?” George was now fully awake, her brows furrowed in confusion as she stared at Harry, “Are you alright?” “I lied.” Harry’s voice was hoarse as she turned to face George, watching her face become even more befuddled. “I didn’t watch your dad get attacked. I was the one attacking him. I was inside the snake and I don’t know if it’s still there and if he can see you through me and I don’t want to hurt you or Ron or your family… I don’t want to lose you but I think that you’d all be safer without her.” She looked at George through watery eyes to see George let out a startled laugh. “You absolute idiot.” George said, smirking wryfully. Harry was shocked. How could George not be disgusted and scared of her. “But what if I’m possessed. What if Voldemort can find and hurt you through me? He’s already hurt your dad.” George’s face was still light, but there was a serious air behind her when she took Harry’s hands into hers and stared deliberately into her eyes. “First, what happened to my dad wasn’t your fault. Even if Voldemort can find us through you, you didn’t even know where my dad was going to be tonight. He chose to be a part of the Order and he knew that there was always a risk, and you weren’t telling him what to do, right?” She paused to wait for Harry to grudgingly nod before continuing. “Second, I care too much about you to let Voldemort drive us apart. I’m not afraid of some bloke with no nose, and that’s not a deal breaker for me. Now if you cheated on me with Narcissa Malfoy that would be a different story, but that’s not happening, right?” Harry let out a watery chuckle as she shook her head vigorously, leaning slightly closer to George. “And third, if you think Voldemort’s possessing you why don’t you ask Ginny? She’s probably the most qualified to speak on snakey possession.” Harry felt the lump that had started to dissipate reform in his throat. “I don’t want to tell her and Ron and Fred. What if they hate me? What if they get mad at me and throw me out when they know the truth? It’s too risky.” George grinned and rolled her eyes. “You’re dating one half of the greatest pranking duo Hogwarts has ever seen. If Ron and Ginny act like assholes then me and Fred will make them fear eating anything for the rest of their lives.” Harry returned George’s grin and started pushing her towards the door. “Fine, you win you goof. For Ron and Ginny’s sakes I hope they never get on your bad side.” “Oh, they stay far away.” George replied, holding the door open for Harry and passing close behind her on their way back towards the kitchen. Harry felt bolstered by George’s presence behind her as they entered the room, and as she stood before the gathered Weasley’s and told them the full story of Mr Weasley’s attack George’s gaze seemed to send strength across the table to her. She could only hope she could provide as much support to George when they went to see Mr Weasley in St Mungo’s the next day. From the relief on George’s face as they walked out of the hospital, she thought she had done a good job. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may not be the best but there will be some fluff in the next chapter and we're moving towards some major plot development. Fair warning, I've been sticking pretty close to the plot of this book so far but by the end of this part of the story we'll get pretty far off and the second part of the story is going to take Rowling's plot points fairly loosely. You have been warned.


	7. it's always better on holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just some Christmas fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So all disclaimers from before apply here too, along with some cursing, suggested sexual content, and derogatory talk about body image. This chapter is more about growing the relationship between Harry and George and isn't going to be super instrumental to the plot, so if you aren't in the mood for fluff or anything in the chapter isn't your speed feel free to skip it. I'm planning to update with a more plot based chapter hopefully by the end of next week, though I'm working more than normal so I make no promises. Cheers!

Once Mr Weasley was released from St Mungo’s the holidays kicked into full swing. Number 12 Grimmauld Place was transformed by the combined efforts of the Weasleys, Sirius, and Harry, with Lupin stopping in occasionally to give opinions on the correct placement of fairy lights or which garland most complimented the decorations on the tree. To Harry’s immense relief no-one has treated her differently since she told them the truth about the snake attack in the Department of Mysteries. Hermione had come to Grimmauld Place when the term officially ended, saying that she had realized skiing “Wasn’t really her thing.” In between decorating with Sirius and spending time with Ron and Hermione, Harry was hard pressed to find time to sneak away to meet George. So it was a stroke of Christmas magic that caused her and George to be paired together by Mrs Weasley to clean out one of the guest bedrooms on the second floor. The second the door closed behind them George turned to Harry, grinning widely. “We’re finally alone. ‘Bout time, isn’t it?” Harry grinned back. It had been almost a week since they had last been together without prying eyes and it had gotten to the point where she had to resist the urge to give George a good snogging, overprotective brothers be damned. 

Now here they were, George slowly moving Harry towards the door and pressing her against it. Harry’s heart was pounding with anticipation, and she kept glancing between George’s warm brown eyes and her soft pink lips. George leaned towards Harry and whispered softly, “This ok?” Harry responded by closing the gap between them and pressing her lips against George’s. George’s hand drifted upwards to tangle in the unruly black hair at the nape of Harry’s neck. Harry moaned into the kiss in response and moved her hands from their place around George’s neck to her hips. George broke the kiss and began to trail kisses down Harry’s neck, stopping every once in a while to nip just softly enough that she wouldn’t leave marks. Harry closed her eyes and let her head thunk back against the door behind her, baring even more tan skin to the older girl. Her hands brushed underneath the hem of George’s shirt and began moving up her back, stilling when she felt George stiffen against her. Her eyes shot open to see George pulling back quickly, tugging her shirt down from where it was rucked up and turning away from Harry. “We should probably get started on this room before my mum checks on us.” She said, beginning to charm the dust off of one of the cabinets. Harry moved over next to her, worried at the abrupt change in mood and the somberness in George’s posture. “I’m sorry George.” She said softly, pulling open a drawer and starting to sift through the contents. George let out a slow breath. “It’s fine. I just…” George trailed off, stopping what she was doing and staring intensely at the wood in front of her, searching for the right words to say. After a beat she turned to Harry, uncharacteristically subdued. “You’ve probably noticed I’m not exactly a stick. So has everyone else. Before we left for holiday I caught Malfoy talking shit to Ron, calling our mum fat and saying that ‘His sister was already following in her footsteps’. We both know he wasn’t talking about Ginny.” 

Harry had always thought that ‘seeing red’ was just an expression, but in that moment she became fully aware that it was a real thing. Her fists clenched with the urge to hurt Malfoy, her magic causing the dusty vases in the cabinet behind her to violently explode and a strong wind to swirl through the air around them. George put her hands on Harry’s arms, lightly shaking her until the wind died. Harry realized that she had been muttering angry words along the lines of “Gonna kill that bastard”. George was smirking a bit as she pulled Harry into a hug. “Don’t worry, Ron almost immediately hexed him. Besides, I can defend my own honor. But I do appreciate it.” Harry relaxed into the embrace. “Fuck that prick. You’re the hottest girl I’ve ever seen.” George pulled back a bit, her lips twisting into a mischievous grin. “Why don’t you prove it then, Potter.” Harry grinned, silently pledging to send her best Jelly-Legs Jinx at Malfoy when the opportunity next presented itself.

About an hour later the pair were breathless and grinning, adjusting their rumpled shirts. “Hold on a second, Hermione showed me an ironing charm in our third year.” Harry said, quickly casting the spell to hide the evidence of the two girls’ actions. George smiled, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to Harry’s cheek before moving away. “We should probably actually do some work before Mum comes to check on us.” They started on their work, both occasionally casting glances at the other while they cleaned. The room was one of the smaller ones, so when Molly entered an hour later the room was spotless, and Harry and George were playing an enthusiastic game of Exploding Snap. 

Molly stood unnoticed in the doorway watching her oldest daughter laugh and joke with a girl she thought of as a foster child. She was so happy for the two of them. While George had always been extroverted, Molly worried that she would stay always slightly in the shadow of her more outgoing twin. But she had noticed that when George was with Harry she tended to be more confident and self assured, always doing her best to make the younger girl smile. In return Harry seemed happier, the worry and urgency that had been present in the girl since her first year fading into the comfortable warmth of safety and belonging. Molly knew that Harry also found comfort in her friendship with Ron and Hermione, but there was something different about her and George, a shift that reminded her of the difference between her relationship with her brothers and Arthur. Molly smiled softly to herself. Her greatest wish was that all her children found happiness and safety, and if Harry provided that to George then she wholeheartedly approved. It didn’t hurt that Molly trusted Harry to not put her daughter into danger, as the girl’s self-sacrificing nature was so that Molly worried for her along with her children. As George threw down her final card, winning the game with a whoop and self-satisfied grin, Molly finally entered the room, declaring the girls’ work satisfactory and ushering them downstairs to the dinner she had prepared. Her whole family, happy and together. It was one of the calmest moments Molly had known since the second war began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title from Jacqueline by Franz Ferdinand


	8. the light that shines for you and me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All disclaimers from before still apply.  
> Sorry this chapter took me so long to update, but it's also twice the normal length so hopefully that makes up for it.  
> title is from When the Rain Begins to Fall by Jermaine Jackson

The rest of the winter hols flew by in a haze of warm fires and laughter interspersed with the fleeting moments Harry could get alone with George. Her nightmares continued, but with the festive buzz surrounding her and the happiness evident on her loved ones faces she felt oddly safe from whatever lay behind that mysterious door. 

It seemed all too soon that Harry found herself standing with her trunk in the entryway of Grimmauld Place, being crushed in a hug from Sirius. Her godfather clung to her like he didn't want to leave, an action reciprocated by Harry. "I wish I could talk to you while at school, but Umbridge is monitoring our mail." She murmured into his chest, thinking about all the times she has wanted to ask Sirius for advice with the DA, George, and the issues at Hogwarts. Sirius pulled away suddenly, his grey eyes alight. "I have an idea. Wait right here." A moment later he was back, bounding down the stairs with an object wrapped in cloth. He handed it excitedly to Harry, beaming widely. She unwrapped the object to find a handheld mirror, which looked decidedly unremarkable. She forced a grin, since Sirius was obviously proud of his gift, and said, "Thanks!" Sirius laughed, seeming to see her underwhelmed response. "That used to be your father's. It's half of a pair; I have the other. It allows you to talk to someone no matter how far away. So we can talk without Umbitch, sorry Molly, Professor Umbridge barging in." Harry's grin was real now, and she embraced Sirius for another hug. Pulling away she remarked, "You seem happier than you did this summer." Sirius smiled widely again. "Well, now I can talk to you. Plus, someone..." he shot a playful glare at Professor Lupin, who looked slightly smug, "convinced me that it would be okay to stay inside for now. Talk to me as soon as you can once you get back to Hogwarts, okay?" He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before she was gently pulled away by Lupin. "We need to get going, don't want to be late for the train." Sirius smirked at Lupin. "Always the responsible one, huh Moony." Lupin smiled at him in return. "One of us has to be. I'll be back soon Pads." 

When they arrived at the station Lupin pulled Harry aside right before they got on the train. "Please call Sirius. He may not admit it but he misses you." Harry felt tears come to her eyes. "I will, I promise." Remus hugged her gently. "I'll miss you too. Stay out of trouble." He said after letting her go. Harry smiled at him, knowing that the odds of her going through a year without almost dying was almost impossible. "I'll do my best." Remus seemed to know the probability too, saying, "You're too much like your father, I swear." He pushed her gently towards the doors, where Ron and Hermione were waiting. "Now go before you're late." Once her, Hermione, and Ron were situated in their compartment Harry gazed out the window, spotting Remus and waving at him. Remus waved back as the train started to pull away, and the wistful look on his face made Harry's heart warm. Maybe the happiness and calm from Christmas could actually carry through the rest of term. 

Once they returned to Hogwarts, however, that hope vanished abruptly. Once again they were bombarded with homework meant to prepare them to take their OWLs, topped off with the weekly Occlumency sessions with Snape Dumbledore was forcing her to endure. It was humiliating to have the greasy-haired professor inform the class of her ‘Remedial Potions’ lessons, made even more embarrassing by George offering her extra help during one of their meet-ups. Harry blushed furiously before quickly explaining the situation to George, who laughed and proceeded to show Harry how much help she could be in her “studies”. 

Umbridge continued to become more and more tyrannical, her paranoia ramping up after Fred and George charmed her ugly little bow to randomly shoot sparks that spelled out, “I’m a major bitch”. They would have surely been expelled if caught, but the twins were accomplished enough pranksters to only get caught if they wanted to. 

It was a precarious situation, but Harry was able to find a delicate balance. All that came crashing down, however, one day in February.

* * *

They were in a meeting of the DA, and Harry had set everyone the task of casting _petrificus totalis_ on their partners, knocking them frozen to the pillows strategically placed on the floor. Harry had her hands on George’s hips under the guise of “teaching her proper stance” when she felt it. Eyes boring into the back of her head. She quickly tore her hands away from their perch and spun around, searching for whoever had noticed her lingering too long by George. George turned her head too, just in time for Lee, her partner, to hit her with a spell that made her freeze and fall sideways onto a pillow. Harry was too stricken by what she’d seen to help her, instead staring at the intensely inquisitive gaze of Hermione Granger watching her from across the room. Their stare down was broken by Lee cackling at George’s frozen expression, and Harry came to enough to de-petrify her girlfriend, who gave her a playfully angry look before turning back to her practice. 

Harry quickly moved away to pretend to observe the other pairs, carefully avoiding George and Lee’s portion of the room. She could feel Hermione's eyes follow her around the room, which distracted her enough that Ron was able to petrify her three times, something he bragged about after their session. Harry was on edge for the rest of the night, half expecting Hermione to accuse her at any moment. That moment didn’t come, however, until the next week after her Occlumency lesson with Snape. She had just ducked though the portrait hole, intent on sneaking through the abandoned common room and into her warm bed, when she spotted a familiar head of bushy brown hair hunched over an ink filled essay. Harry’s blood ran cold and she attempted to sneak around her friend as quietly as possible to avoid detection, but to no avail. Hermione’s head snapped up, her eyes boring into Harry’s guilty ones. 

“Finally, you’re back. We need to talk.” Hermione said, closing the book she had been using for reference and setting aside her quill and parchment before patting the cushion next to her on the couch. Harry reluctantly sat, sterling herself for Hermione's judgement or condemnation. None came, however, and Hermione simply turned somewhat excitedly towards Harry. 

“So you and George?” Hermione asked, a sort of girly lilt to her question Harry couldn’t remember hearing before. Harry blushed, which Hermione took as answer. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell us! You two are cute together. You’ll have to tell Ron, you know.” Harry blushed even deeper, expecting the last statement but surprised by the one preceding it. “Thanks ‘Mione, I honestly thought you’d be more shocked.” Hermione smirked at her in the same self-satisfied way she looked after correctly answering a question in class. “Honestly, Harry, you two have been staring at each other since third year. I was starting to think you were as thick as Ron and you’d never get together! Speaking of Ron, you _will_ have to tell him soon.” Harry groaned at the thought of telling Ron the dreaded truth, but another part of her rejoiced at the positive response she had received from her other best friend. “Do I have to?” She moaned, causing Hermione to snicker at her. “You really should. He’s your best friend, he’ll understand.”

Hermione’s words stuck with Harry throughout her classes the next few days. Every time she saw Ron a pang of guilt shot through her. The uncertainty over Ron was only slightly lessened by Hermione’s knowing grins each time she caught Harry and George gazing at each other during mealtimes and between classes. However all thoughts of anything besides studying were pushed to the back of all the fifth years minds as the preparation for OWLs ramped into high gear. Often times Harry, Ron, and Hermione found themselves hunched over their textbooks late into the night, though Hermione seemed to struggle much less with the mountains of homework than the other two. 

* * *

The second week of February brought some respite from the scholarly onslaught. Most professors did not assign homework over Valentine’s Day weekend, with the notable exceptions of Snape and Umbridge, knowing that most of the students would be too busy to put forward their best work. Harry woke on the morning of the fourteenth brimming with anticipation for the day ahead. George had slipped her a note at the D.A. meeting two nights ago, asking her to meet her in the tunnel under Honeydukes as soon after breakfast as possible. Harry dressed carefully and attempted to tame her hair as much as she could before heading down to the Gryffindor common room to meet Ron. Hermione had left even earlier that morning, saying she had business to attend to and that she’d meet them at breakfast. Harry and Ron entered the Great Hall just as the post owls arrived, finding Hermione already seated, untying a parchment scroll from a large tawny owl. Ron sat next to her with a huff, moodily spooning eggs onto his plate. “Can’t believe Angelina is demanding that we continue practicing. It’s hopeless: the Beaters she got to replace Fred and George are even worse than I am.” Ron followed up his complaint by shoving a strip of bacon into his mouth and chewing ferociously. Harry rolled her eyes exasperatedly, sitting down on the other side of Hermione. “How many times do I have to tell you that you can save anything when your mind’s in the right place.” Ron glared at her over yet another strip of bacon. “Yeah, but my head never seems to be in the right place mate.” Hermione, just finished reading her mail, shushed them both before Harry could retort. She turned purposefully to Harry. “Harry, I need you to meet me at the Three Broomsticks around midday.” Harry would have asked why if she had thought that Hermione would answer, but she recognized that her best friend was on a mission that she wouldn’t be able to explain until it was completed. She was distracted, anyways, by the odd look Ron was giving her and Hermione. “What do you mean, meet up? Aren’t you two going to Hogsmeade together.” Harry’s mind went into overdrive trying to come up with a reason why her and Hermione were splitting up besides the truth. “I need to…” Harry searched frantically for a reason, finally landing on Luna walking into the Great Hall. “Help Luna find a present for her dad’s birthday.” Ron looked at her quizzically. “Why is she buying it on Valentine’s Day?” Harry kicked herself for this logical hole in her story. “Well, Umbridge will probably end Hogsmeade trips and Luna doesn’t trust owl order. Something about corruption with the post owls?” Ron nodded sagely. “Well don’t let Loony drive you too batty.” “Don’t call her Loony!” Ginny said, smacking the back of Ron’s head as she passed on her way down the table. Ron sneered after her. Harry shot Hermione a pleading look, prompting her to swoop in for the save. “Harry, we should probably get going so you and Luna have plenty of time to shop before we need to meet.” Harry nodded vigorously, chugging the rest of her pumpkin juice and standing to leave. 

After the near miss with Ron at breakfast Harry wanted to take extra precautions when meeting up with George under Honeydukes, so her and Hermione ducked behind Zonko’s so Harry could get under the invisibility cloak. “Don’t forget, midday, Leaky Cauldron. Do not be late.” Hermione called after Harry as she walked away. “Yeah, no problem Hermione.” Harry paused briefly before walking back into the main thoroughfare, making certain not to bump into any of the happy couples walking by arm and arm. She had to wait for two fourth year Ravenclaws to open the door to Honeydukes before she could duck in. After making her way down the stairs into the basement, opening the trapdoor, and descending into the tunnel, she swung off the cloak and shoved it into her coat. “Lumos” she whispered, holding her wand out before her to light the dark, slightly damp space. She waited there alone for a few minutes, hoping that George would be able to sneak her way down there without the benefit of an invisibility cloak. Finally she heard her girlfriend’s footsteps coming down the corridor towards her. Once George came into the circle of light shed by Harry’s wand she pulled her into a welcoming kiss. When they pulled apart Harry asked, “What took you so long?” “Sorry love, Umbridge and her goons were on the prowl. Luckily Peeves distracted her and I was able to sneak down here.” George replied, smirking at Harry before pulling her into another kiss. They stayed locked together for a few more minutes before Harry had to pull back for breath. Both girls’ cheeks were flushed and their eyes gleamed as they looked at each other. “I brought you something.” George breathed, bending down to dig through her bag. “George, I thought we agreed we weren’t going to get gifts!” Harry protested, embarrassed that she hadn’t brought anything, but she was interrupted by George. “Close your eyes.” Harry looked at her suspiciously. “No pranks?” George laughed. “I would never.”  
Harry dutifully closed her eyes, but instead of the expected feel of a devious spell she felt George’s calloused hands brushing her hair from the base of her neck. Cold metal hit her skin as she felt George step back. “You can open your eyes now.” George murmured, a hint of anxiety in her voice. Harry looked down to see a small silver locket laying against her collarbones. She gently prised it open to find a photo of her parents, smiling and waving at the camera. Tears came to her eyes and she turned to see George looking at her apprehensively before she was dragged into a hug. “Thank you so much.” Harry muttered into George’s chest, overwhelmed by the appreciation for her girlfriend flooding her heart. It was one of the most thoughtful gifts she had ever received, up there with her father’s invisibility cloak and her Firebolt. “I love you.” George whispered into her hair, immediately tensing afterwards in shock at her own words. Harry didn’t think her heart could get any warmer, but somehow it did at her girlfriend’s profession of love. She pulled back to look George in her eyes, responding, “I love you too.” before leaning back in for another kiss.

Harry met Hermione in the Three Broomsticks with flushed cheeks and a grin on her face. Throughout the interview she found herself fingering the locket for comfort, the present reminding her of the support she had from George. She kept fiddling with it as she and Hermione walked back to the castle, lost in thought about The Quibbler, Rita Skeeter, and declaring to the Wizarding World that Voldemort had returned. She did it again, unconsciously, when George caught her eye from across the Gryffindor common room as her and Hermione completed the homework they had been assigned. She only stopped touching the locket when her and Hermione met Ron for dinner, not wanting him to question where she had acquired a locket on her “shopping trip”. Ron was thoroughly dejected as they sat at the long table, groaning about the improbability of Gryffindor winning the Quidditch cup that year. Harry was also sad at the thought, especially so when Ron complained of the horrible replacements Angelina found for their banished members. She longed to be zooming through the air on her broom, the snitch glinting in front of her, her hand outstretched, fingers just brushing the golden ball… “Harry!” She was snapped out of her daydream by Ron calling her name. “What happened, mate? You looked like your mind got snatched or something.” Harry blushed and looked down at her mashed potatoes. “Nothing.” She muttered, quickly leading the conversation back towards homework and their dreadful Quidditch prospects.

Later that night, Harry and Ron were playing a game of chess as Hermione curled up with a book in the chair next to them. Harry was watching her knight get shattered by Ron’s queen when Hermione spoke up. “Harry, do you know where your dad got that invisibility cloak from.” “Dunno.” Harry said absently, “I think it was in the family before he got it.” Hermione murmured thoughtfully. “According to _Regal Robes: A History of Wizarding Clothing_ invisibility cloaks usually have a lifespan of around twenty years before they start to turn opaque. If someone else had your cloak before your dad it must be at least thirty to forty years old.” Harry hummed, valiantly attempting to predict how Ron would check her this time. “He might have gotten a new one, I dunno Hermione. Does it matter?” “I guess not.” Hermione replied, but Harry could tell that she hadn’t really let the matter go. “Checkmate.” Ron said as his rook decapitated Harry’s king. “Dammit Ron.” Harry said, sighing and leaning back in her chair. “Another game?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope it was good!


	9. if i had a crystal ball i would smash it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry that this took so long! School's started back up and combined with writer's block and it's a mess. Also if any of y'all know how to write a college entrance essay please let me know as I have been stuck for weeks. Hope you enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> IF YOU HAVEN'T, PLEASE LOOK AT CHAPTER 9 AS IT WAS UPDATED 9/17.
> 
> title is from Halloween 3.5 by Rozwell Kid  
> As always, disclaimer from the beginning still applies. Thank you!

Winter melted into spring and with the onslaught of new growth came an onslaught of homework. Harry’s days blurred into a never ending stream of classes, studying, Occlumency lessons, and stolen moments with George wherever they could be found. The members of the DA had to find more and more creative ways to meet as Umbridge’s ‘Educational Decrees’ became more and more restrictive. Harry could feel Umbridge and the Inquisitorial Squad breathing down their necks, with letters arriving opened and Care of Magical Creatures classes being closely supervised by the head bitch herself. Harry felt like her hair was going to fall out from the stress of Umbridge’s dictatorship, topped off by trying to keep her relationship with George secret from Ron. She held out until March, when she finally snapped. 

It was one of the free periods they had during Hermione’s Advanced Runes class and Ron and Harry were sat on the lawn under a willow tree. Harry had been watching Ron squint in confusion at his Potions essay for a couple of minutes, trying to calm her racing heart. She took a deep breath to steel herself before speaking. “I need to talk to you Ron, and I want you to promise you won’t get mad.” Ron looked up at her warily. “ You know mate, whenever someone says that you shouldn’t get mad it’s never a good sign.” Harry laughed nervously, her heart hammering in her chest. Quick like a band-aid. “I’m going out with George.” Ron’s quill fell onto his paper, spotting ink across the margin. He didn’t seem to notice. 

“Blimey, mate, you can’t just spring something like that on a guy.” Ron said, using the hand that had been holding his quill to push his hair back. “I didn’t even know you were into… you know.” “Girls?” Harry asked, shocked by the relative calmness with which Ron was taking her declaration. She had been imagining Ron tackling her as retribution for defiling his sister. If she were a bit better with people she could have predicted the uncomfortable look that slides across Ron’s face. Ron tended to shy away from emotional situations, preferring instead those where each movement was predictable and calculated. Love isn’t a game of chess, making it one of Ron’s least favorite things. 

Ron now looked a mix of uncomfortable and confused, which kinda made him look like he’d put on his shoes to find them full of pumpkin juice. “I thought you and Seamus had a thing last year though? I share a dorm with him and he’s not a bird last I checked.” Harry blushed at the reminder of her and Seamus’ awkward fling, which had mostly consisted of too wet kisses and sweaty handholding. “We did, yeah. I like girls and boys.” Ron looked even more perplexed than before. “You can do that?” Harry laughs at the utter Ron-ness of his reaction. 

“Love ya mate.” She says, overcome by love for her best friend. Ron looks at her quizzically. “Love ya too, but you’ve put me in a tough position. Now if you and George break up I won’t know whether to beat you for hurting my sister or my sister for hurting my best mate.” Harry laughed, wishing that all her conundrums were as simple as the one Ron was now faced with. 

* * *

The last few weeks of March passed fairly uneventfully. Ron had been awkward around Harry for around a week before running up to her one day after Quidditch practice to boast that he had ‘blocked every shot, it was a bloody miracle Harry!’ As April approached Harry became anxious; she had no clue what to get George for her rapidly nearing birthday. Finally she broke and pulled the mirror Sirius had given her from her trunk.

Harry sat on the bed, staring at the object lying on her lap for a few minutes, wondering what she would possibly say to her godfather. Finally, feeling rather foolish, she picked up the mirror and held it at face level. “Padfoot.” she whispered, after looking around quickly to check that Lavender and Parvati had not returned to the dorm. The surface of the mirror turned liquid, swirling before clearing to reveal Sirius’ face looking excitedly at her. “Prongslet! How’re you?” Harry couldn’t keep a grin from spreading across her face. “Hey Pads, I need to ask you for advice.” Sirius frowned worriedly. “Are you okay? Should I get Remus to check on you?” Harry frantically shook her head. She should have known that Sirius would jump to the worst conclusion, whether through pessimism or a need for an excuse to escape his house. “No, no. It’s help with…” she trailed off uncomfortably, “romance.” Sirius’ eyebrows raised before his face smoothed itself into mischievous smirk. “Ah, my Prongslet is all grown up! Who’s the lucky boy? Do I need to beat him up?” Harry blushed. “She’s actually a, well, a girl. And please don’t beat her up, that’s the opposite of the help I need.” Sirius looked shocked for a second before turning around and calling over his shoulder, “Moony! Come here!” Harry could hear Remus pounding down the stairs in the distance before he skidded into the frame, hair disheveled and wand at the ready. “What’s wrong Pads?” He caught sight of the mirror in Sirius’ hand and relaxed. “Sirius, you scared me. How many times do I have to tell you that not everything’s an emergency. How are you, Harry.” Sirius dragged Remus down onto the seat next to him, and pouted at him. “That spider had it out for me! Besides, this _is_ an emergency. Our Harry’s all grown up! She’s got herself a girlfriend.” Remus’ fake stern look softened as he turned to look at the mirror. “Oh, Harry, I’m so glad for you! Who’s the lucky lady?” Harry laughed internally at the parallels between her godfather and Remus. It seemed that being back together meant that their personalities wore off on each other a bit. “Well, I’ve been seeing George Weasley since December.” She admitted sheepishly, not knowing how they would react. Remus’ eyebrows shot up, but Sirius just nodded thoughtfully. “Should’ve known with all the times you two happened to be alone together. I really have lost my touch.” Remus shoved him. “You dolt, you didn’t know James and Lily had got together until they were making out in front of you. Anyways, Harry, what was it that you needed help with? If George is hurting you or pressuring you…” Remus’ eyes flashed gold at the thought of someone hurting Harry, a surge of protectiveness surging up inside of him. Harry could almost see Sirius’ hackles raise.

“No, no, quite the opposite.” Harry rushed to reassure them, both Remus and her godfather relaxing. “George is wonderful. She’s sweet and caring and for Valentine’s Day she gave me this.” She continued, pulling the locket out from her sweater and opening it to show the pair. They both leaned forward to get a better view, and as they moved back from the mirror Harry thought she saw Sirius’ eyes water a bit. “I’m so happy for you, Harry.” Remus says, his voice a little hoarse. “George seems like an amazing young lady.” Harry blushed, her heart calming at approval from the closest thing she had to parents. “She is. That’s why I need your help. Her birthday’s three days away and I have no clue what to get her.” Sirius laughed a bit at the irony of twin pranksters being born on April Fools. 

“I think I have the perfect thing.” Sirius got up and moved quickly out of frame, leaving Remus looking at his retreating back. Once the sound of Sirius’ pounding footsteps faded to almost nothing Harry spoke up. “How is he doing?” She asked quietly, not wanting her godfather to know of her concerns. Remus sighed, running his hand through hair that seemed a bit greyer than the last time Harry saw him. “Better. He’s been looking forward to you calling; I think it makes him feel like he’s not so stuck.” Guilt gnawed at Harry’s stomach. With the rising tension in the castle and her fears over Voldemort’s plans she had only had time to briefly talk to Sirius once in the time between the winter holidays and March. “Sorry I haven’t kept in touch better.” Remus smiled tiredly at her. “It’s okay Harry, Sirius knows that you have a lot on your mind.” 

“Thank you for staying with him.” Harry said, gratitude welling up in her. She saw new scars peeking out from under the collar of his jumper and the worry lines around his eyes and knew that he was doing just as badly as Sirius. At that moment the man in question reappeared, holding a beaten journal in his hands and furiously flipping through it. Remus groaned in recognition, barely hiding the smile that pulled at his lips. 

“Harry, I hold here in my hands the holy grail of pranking. The bible of tricksters. The forbidden text.” Sirius said theatrically, collapsing half on top of Remus who just rolled his eyes. “There are spells in here that took us ages to cook up, the likes of which have never been seen again.” Harry grinned at her godfather’s antics, glad to see him more animated. She knew that not being able to help the Order was hard on him, and she prayed that he could hold it together enough to keep from making a rash decision. “If the things I think are in there, George will be ecstatic.” She said, pulling out parchment to copy down the instructions Sirius started reciting from the book. She couldn’t wait to see the look on George’s face when she gave her the present. Hopefully helping George and Fred prank made George just as happy as the locket made her. Even though things seemed grim, the happiness on Sirius and Remus' faces as they helped her and the promise of the same from George kindled the fire of hope inside of her. They would be okay. Dumbledore was working to fix things, and the people she loved were as safe as possible. Little did she know at that moment someone was sitting in a smirking Umbridge's office, setting in motion events that would quench that flame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a needy bitch who needs validation. Please leave kudos/reviews as you see fit. Thank you! Hope this chapter was good, I'm trying to advance the plot to where I want it to be as I have got the rest of my story fairly fleshed out. Hopefully I don't change my mind before I write it. Anyways, I really appreciate people reading this. I'm not a writing person but I have an overactive imagination and need to vent, and I'm glad if it has some semblance of quality. Anyways, please let me know if you like it and stay safe and happy!

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Harry Potter. The actual writing and individual premise belong to me, and if you want to reproduce all or portions of it please let me know and give proper credit. I am a lesbian, and I love women. In case you couldn't tell by the way I talk about them. I do not speak for the entirety of the Lesbian or LGBT+ community. 
> 
> So I've noticed that I have a weird tendency to write in present tense, so if my tenses get weird please let me know and I'll fix it. Thanks for reading and I hope that it's good so far.
> 
> A note: Screw JK Rowling and her transphobic comments. What feminists have been fighting against is the view of feminity as lesser than and weaker. Sex is not integral to that. Yes sex does exist, but I would argue that the way society perceives you is not inexorably linked to what's between your legs as much as what you present as. While cis women and trans women do face different problems, the amount of problems we have in common far outweighs the differences. Your insecurity in your own feminity does not give you the right to invalidate someone else. 
> 
> UPDATE: EDIT 9/17 TO BEGINNING OF CHAPTER 8


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